The Athletics opened a three-game Memorial Day weekend series against the San Diego Padres on May 24 with Mason Miller facing his former team for the first time since he was traded last July. The 33-year-old right-hander has become one of San Diego's biggest late-inning weapons, and this matchup brought him back into the kind of game that can turn quickly.
Miller entered the series at 1-1 with a 0.79 ERA, 15 saves and 45 strikeouts in 22 appearances spanning 22.2 innings pitched. The Athletics also turned to Jeffrey Springs for the start, with the left-hander coming in for his 11th start of the season with a 3-4 record, a 3.93 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. Springs took the loss in his previous outing against the San Francisco Giants after allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits over six innings.
Chicago was not the backdrop here; San Diego was, and the Padres were a much harder test than the Angels the Athletics had just handled. The A's arrived after winning three of four games against Los Angeles, including victories that required 10 innings in each of the final two games, and they were trying to carry that momentum into the first-place club's ballpark.
The lineup reflected that push. Carlos Cortes remained in the leadoff spot, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers swapped places in the batting order, Henry Bolte got another start in center field and Lawrence Butler was once again on the bench. That combination underscored how the Athletics are still sorting through pieces even while they try to keep winning.
Walker Buehler was scheduled to start for the Padres, bringing his own uneven season into the series opener. Through his first nine starts with San Diego, Buehler was 3-2 with a 5.01 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched. He had won his previous start against the Seattle Mariners after allowing two runs on five hits over five innings, and he had also gone six innings of two-run ball in the start before that.
For the Athletics, this was the kind of night that asked whether a strong trip could become something more. For Miller, it was a first look at old uniforms across the field, and for Springs it was another chance to hold down a game against a lineup that offered less room for error than the one they had just left behind.
